1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a computer-based planning method that translates an individual""s achievements into a degree equivalent for an institution and lists all degree requirements that have been met and all degree requirements that have yet to be met.
2. Background of the Prior Art
Many individuals, such as members of the military, may earn achievements from a wide variety of sources. Such sources can include college work, specialized job trainingxe2x80x94either classroom or field workxe2x80x94correspondence course work, testing through a course, etc. A person having such diverse achievement sources has little problems with the achievements within the environment where such achievements were realized (e.g., the military will not have trouble understanding the achievement level of a soldier who has earned all recognized achievements within the military). However, if the individual desires to obtain an award of recognition (degree, diploma, certificate of achievement, certificate of qualification, license, etc.,) from an outside institution, and desires to know which requirements of the particular outside institution for the award of recognition have been met and which requirements have not been met, problems can arise.
As the outside institution did not grant many (if any) of the achievements earned by the individual, the institution may have trouble determining which requirements for a particular recognition award have been met and which requirements have not been met. The institution must take each earned achievement of the individual and translate the achievement into an equivalent requirement recognized by the institution. This process is time consuming and, as it involves large amounts of data, is subject to simple human errors in processing. If the individual is desirous of looking at more than one award of recognition for the particular institution, the problems are compounded. Such a method is prone to redundancy of task performance, especially if an individual seeks to check the requirements status for an award on a regular basis.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a system that eliminates the above-noted problems. Such as system, which must be time and task efficient, must automatically take the earned achievements of an individual, which achievements can come from a wide variety of sources, and translate each achievement into an equivalent that can be used to satisfy the requirements for an award of recognition that is granted by an institution. As each institution may have different views as to what equivalency a specific achievement translates to for the particular institution, the system must perform a translation for each institution. The system must provide a listing of the requirements that have been met and the requirements that have yet to be met for a selected award of recognition for a particular institution. Ideally, the system must be relatively simple to use and operate. As new achievements as well as new awards of recognition and requirements are created on a regular basis, the system must allow for quick change of the underlying data within the system.
The automated planning method of the present invention addresses the aforementioned needs in the art. The system automatically takes the earned achievements of an individual, which achievements can come from a wide variety of sources, and translates each achievement into an equivalent that can be used to satisfy the requirements for an award of recognition that is granted by an institution. The system performs translations for each institution. For a selected award within a particular institution, the system provides a listing of the requirements that have been met and the requirements that have not been for the particular award of recognition. The system is relatively simple to use and operate and is quickly updateable. As the automated planning system is computer-based, it is time and task efficient.
The automated planning system of the present invention is comprised of the steps of providing a work record having at least one work data element (achievement), and providing a database having a plurality of school files each having at least one degree (award of recognition) record having a plurality of second course elements. Each of the work data elements is translated into at least one first course element for each school file. A school file is selected as is a degree record from the selected school file. Each of the first course elements corresponding to the selected school file is compared against each of the second course elements of the selected degree record. A listing is made of each of the second course elements that have been matched by a first course element in a first section and each of the second course elements that have not been matched by a first course element in a second section. The work data element may include subentries selected from the group consisting of type of credit, date earned, description of work, work course number, length of credit, and level (lower level, upper level, graduate level, etc.,), wherein each of the second course elements that have been matched includes the type of credit subentry. Each work record may be located within one of a plurality of work files based on the type of credit work identifier data element subentry. The type of credit subentry may be selected from the group consisting of military credit, college credit, test credit, and correspondence credit. Each of the first course elements, may be derived from the American Council on Education Guide. In order to deal with award requirements that are electives, as opposed to specific courses, each of the second course elements is subdivided into a required course type and an elective course type, such that each of the first course elements has a first amount associated therewith and each of the second course elements of the elective course type has a second amount and an accumulator associated therewith, and wherein each of the first course elements is first compared against each second course element of the required course type and if no match is made, the first course element is compared against each of the second course elements of the elective course type and if a match is made, entering the first amount of the first course element into the accumulator of the second course element, and after all comparisons are made, for each of the second course elements of the elective course type wherein the accumulator is at least equal to the second amount of the second course element, listing the second course element in the first section and if the accumulator is less than the second amount, listing the second course element in the first section along with the accumulator and also listing the second course element along with the difference between the second amount and the accumulator, corresponding to the amount of each elective that has been met and the amount of each elective yet to be met.